Coupling-and-locking mechanism for kitchen devices



July 22, 1958 J. E. sNELL 2,844,400

COUFLING-AND-LOCKING,MECHANSM FOR KITCHEN DEVICES Filed June e, 1955 INVENToR. (/0/7/'7 E, 527e# CGUPLlNG-AND-LOCKING MECHANISM FOR KITCHEN DEVICES John E. Snell, Kansas City, Mo., assigner to John C. Hockery, Kansas City, Mo., trustee 4for Henry J. Talge and Foster L. Talge, south of Kansas City, Mo.

Application June 6, 1955, Serial No. 513,212 s claims. (c1. 281-103) This invention relates to fastening means for handoperated kitchen devices having separable bases and operating heads and refers more particularly to a couplingand-locking mechanism for the bases and operating heads of such devices which greatly facilitates the coupling-andlocking and uncoupling-and-unlocking operations.

Food-processing devices such as vegetable Shredders and meat grinders having separable heads and basesrare well-known in the art. Means for engaging and disengaging such separable operating heads and bases are also old. However, such engaging and disengaging mechanisms generally share numerous disadvantages. Thus, their operation may not be of the desired simplicity and ease. The coupling and uncoupling of the heads and bases may not be able to be accomplished with suicient speed. Such engaging and disengaging means may or may not include a locking device to lock the coupled operating head and base together to protect against accidents and spills. If a locking device is also present, the simplicity, speed and easeof its operation may not be satisfactory. In such conventional mechanisms, additionally, the coupling and locking parts of the device may be dicult to clean or of insufficient ruggedness in relation to the weight of the parts and the strain of their operation. Finally, the presence of the coupling-andlocking mechanism may detract from theappearance of the article and protrusion of various parts therefrommay hinder the mechanical operationthereof.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a coupling-and-locking.mechanism for kitchen devices having separable operating heads and bases having a simple mode of operation, obvious immediately upon inspection thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide coupling-and-locking means. for. kitchen devices having separable operating heads and bases wherein the coupling and uncoupling of the operating head toy the standardlis swiftly and easily accomplished and the locking and unlocking of said mechanism when the operating head and standard are coupled is also swift and easy. The inventive mechanism may also be easily operated with wet or greasy hands.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupling-and-locking mechanism for kitchen devices having separable operating heads and bases which is easy to clean, has great ruggedness relative the weight of the parts it couples and the strain of the operations performed therein, and, finally, is unobtrusive in appearance and has no protruding parts to hinder the mechanical function of the device.

Other and further objects will appear in the course of the following description.

In the drawings, which form a part of the Ainstant specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, an embodiment of the invention is shown, and in the various views, like numerals are used to indicate like parts.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a kitchen device having a separable operating head and standard with coupling- United States Patent f "ice and-locking means therefor which comprise the invention mounted thereon. n

Fig. 2 is a view taken along the lines 2-2 of Fig. l in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 `is a view taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3a corresponds to Fig. 3, but shows a modification in which the weight of the operating head is carried by the head of the standard rather than by the base of a channel on the standard.

Fig. 4 is a combined, three-quarter perspective view of the base of the operating head and the top of the standard showing the inventive coupling-and-locking means thereon.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l shows a kitchen device (here a meat grinder) having a separable base or standard 10 and operating head 11 with the inventive coupling-and-locking mechanism thereon. The standard 10 has legs 10g, and base legs 10b with fixation cups 10c thereon. The operating head 11 (as noted, in this instance a meat grinder, but not intended to be limited to such) has a hopper 11a, handle 11b, extrusion plate 11C, plate-locking nut 11d and an operating-head base 12.

The standard or base 10 part of the coupling-andlocking mechanism will be first described. The standard 10 has a post 13 preferably centrally positioned thereon. The post 13may be solid orhollow as desired. A top 14 of the postA 13' is formed cylindrical in shape and thus is circular. in cross section. The top 14 has a surface 14a closing the summit thereof. A walled flange-receiving channel 15 is formed within said post and penetrates the surface 14a. The channely 15 has a base 15a and is preferably substantially'vertical within said post 13. The channel 15 is preferably curved as illustrated, the inner and outer walls 'thereof extending parallel to the edge ofthe circumferentialv top 14a. The channel 15 also preferably has its ends rounded. A stud 16 may be formed on that portion of the surface 14a which is not penetratedby said channel 15 and is preferably round in cross section. A cap 17 is positioned on the post 13, fitting androtatable about the top cylindrical portion 14 thereof. The cap 17 preferably has an outer edge 17a thereof ribbed. A shaft 18 rotatably connects the cap 17 to the surface 14a and has a flanged head 19 xcdly attached thereto. The lower edge of head 19 does not abut the cap 17 so as to stopl rotation thereof. A iirst 'slot 201is formedvin the cap 17 and is congruent with the top opening ofl channel 15 when the cap 17 is rotated so lthat the slot 20 is thereabove. The slot 20 has preferably one end-20a flat and, one end 20b rounded, asshown in the figures. A second slot 21 engages the stud 16 and preferably has the inner and outer walls thereof parallel to the circumference of top 14. The ends of the second slot 21 are preferably rounded. The second slot 21 is of a length and shape relative said rst slot 20 so that when said stud 16 is at one end of the second slot 21, the rst slot 20 coincides with the channel opening to dene an open position, and when said stud 16 is at the other end of the second slot 21, a portion of one end of said channel 15 `is covered by a portion of 'said cap 17 to dene a closed position. Preferably, the height of stud 16 is less than the depth of the slot 21. Preferably, the slots 20 and 21 are not covered by the flanged head 19.

The operating-head part of the coupling-and-locking mechanism will now be described. The base 12 of operating head 11 has a channel-engaging flange 22 depending therefrom, preferably vertically. The flange 22 is formed in length and cross section to engage the flange-receiving channel 15 in the base post 13. The flange 22 preferably has the side edges thereof rounded. When the channel 15 and ange 22 are curved, the operating head 11 is mountable on the stand only in one direction. The ange 22 may be constructed greater in length than the depth of channel whereby the weight of the operating head 11 is carried by the base 15arof channel 15. This is the preferred arrangement. However, the flange 22 may be constructed of lesser length than the depth of channel 15 whereby the weight of the operating head is carried by the xed ange head 19 on the shaft 18. The base 12 also has a trough 23 in the bottom thereof to receive the head of shaft 18. A notch 24 is formed in the top portion of one edge of flange 22 and is engageable by the edge 20a of first cap Slot 20 when the cap 17 is rotated from the open to the closed position. The notch 24 has its side edge 24a formed flat so as vto match the flat end 20a of the first cap slot 20. The notch 24 has a width slightly greater than the Width of cap 17. The notch 24 has a depth substantially equal in length to the length of the second slot 21 less twice the diameter of stud 16, said depth having sulcient magnitude to give a solid lock of the cap 17 to the notch 24 so that the cap 17 is not easily displaced therefrom.

In operation, to engage the operating head 11 and base 10 when they are separated, the cap 17 is rotated until the st-ud 16 abuts that end of the slot 21 which defines the open position. The slot 20 then coincides with the opening of channel 15. The flange 22 may then be inserted in the slot 20 and channel 15. This done, the cap 17 is then rotated until the post or stud 16 abuts the other end of slot 21 which defines the closed position. The flange 22 is thus locked in place in channel 15 by the engagement of the notch 24 in the flange 22 by the edge Zita of slot 20 in the cap 17. To disengage the two separable parts 10 and 11 of the device, the steps of the above sequence are reversed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is -contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that `all matter hereinabove set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A coupling-and-locking mechanism comprising a post, the top of said post formed cylindrical in shape and havin-g a surface closing the top thereof, a walled Hangereceiving channel within said post and penetrating said surface, -a cap on said post fitting and rotatable about the top cylindrical portion thereof, means rotatably coupling said cap to the post and a slot in said cap congruent with the top opening into said channel when said cap is rotated so the slot is above the channel; an engaging member for said post having a channel-engaging ange depending therefrom, said flange being formed in length and cross section to essentially ill the flange-receiving channel in the post, and a notch in the top portion of one edge of said ange engageable by the edge of the cap slot when the cap is rotated.

2. Apparatus as in claim l wherein said channel and said i'lange are curved whereby said engaging member is mountable on said post in one direction only.

3. Apparatus as in claim l wherein said ange is greater in length than the depth of said channel whereby the weight of said engaging member is carried by the base of said channel.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the means connecting the cap to said postvis a shaft having a flanged head xedly attached thereto and positioned above said cap and said channel-engaging ange is of a lesser length than the channel depth whereby the weight of the engaging member is carried by the flanged head attached to the shaft.

5. A coupling-and-locking mechanism comprising a post, the top of said post formed cylindrical in shape and having a surface closing the top thereof, a walled flangereceiving channel within said post and penetrating said surface, a stud on a portion of said surface not penetrated by said channel, a cap on said post fitting and rotatable about the top cylindrical portion thereof, means rotatably coupling said cap to the post, a rst slot in said cap congruent with the top opening into said channel when said cap is rotated so the slot is above said channel, a second slot in said cap engaging said stud, said second slot being of such length and shape relative said first slot that, when said Studis at one end of the second slot, the first slot coincides with the channel opening to define an open position, and when said stud is adjacent the other end of the second slot, a portion of one end of said channel is covered by a portion of said cap to define a closed position; `an engaging member for said post having a channel-engaging ange depending therefrom, said flange being formed in length and cross section so as to essentially fill the flange-receiving channel in the post, and a notch in the top portion of one edge of said flange engageable by the edge of the first cap slot when the cap is rotated from the open to the closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 972,989 Bond Oct. 18, 1910 1,474,404 Church Nov. 20, 1923 2,654,847 Ernst Oct. 6, 1953 

